December Book Flight: Snow

By The Washtenaw Voice

The Feature

Selected Poems
Author: Robert Frost
Genre: American Poetry
Recommended By Debra Destefani, Deputy Editor

I really enjoy reading collections of short, impactful poetry, especially in the height of the semester when I don’t have very much time to dedicate to a long novel or series. Feelings of nostalgia during the winter months–especially in December–often bring me back to reading poetry by Robert Frost, which is something my teachers always had the class do around this time of year in elementary school.

Born in 1874, Frost uses the type of language and prose that is typical of his time. He writes simple rhymes that flow easily, and he chooses each word carefully to conjure his intended image. Some of his poems are rather long, while some are only a short snapshot of a moment, such as his poem “Dust of Snow.”

“The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.”

And nothing gives me an appreciation of winter more than the first lines in one of his most famous poems: “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”.

“Whose woods these are I think I know.   
His house is in the village though;   
He will not see me stopping here   
To watch his woods fill up with snow.”

You can read Frost’s poetry and many other poems for free at Poetry Foundation.

The Fairytales

The Bear and the Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Genre: Folktale Retelling
Recommended by Jessica Pace, Graphic Designer

This beautiful retelling of a traditional Russian folktale centers on the family of a Northern Lord, and the magic of the forest and house spirits that surround them. When a new Orthodox priest comes to the region and upsets the natural and magical balance, youngest daughter Vasya must find a way to restore it, with the help of her horse Nightingale and the Winter King, before the evil bear awakes and takes control of the world. The audio performance is a highly recommended delight.

The Snow Child
Author: Eowyn Ivey
Genre: Folktale Retelling
Recommended by Jessica Pace, Graphic Designer

When an infertile couple moves to the Alaskan frontier to escape their disappointments, they decide to build a child of snow during their first winter. When a real child appears and needs their shelter and help, they bring her in and welcome a lifetime of mystery and adventure as well. Is the child real? Where did she come from? Is the magic of love and family enough to hold her, or will she melt away again with the thawing spring? Another gorgeous Russian folktale retold, this tale of warm and cold, empty and full, winter and summer, will fill long winter nights and is worth the lengthy read.

The Thriller

The Snowman
Author: Jo Nesbo
Genre: Crime Thriller
Recommended by Jessica Pace, Graphic Designer

A crime thriller for the season, this creepy tale follows the career of a Norwegian serial killer nicknamed “The Snowman” for his proclivity toward leaving his victims incorporated into snow sculptures. Our hero, police inspector Harry Hole, battles his own addictions and troubled past while relentlessly hunting the Snowman through the decades in a race to save the people he loves.

The Classic

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Author: C. S. Lewis
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Recommended by Jessica Pace, Graphic Designer

When Lucy Pevensie discovers a magical world inside her uncle’s wardrobe, she and her siblings become the kings and queens of prophecy who will break the White Witch’s curse. The creatures of Narnia help them along their way to save the land from eternal winter, along with their brother Edmund, who has fallen into the Snow Queen’s thrall. On the way, the lion King Aslan teaches them about true love, sacrifice, and the magic of family that can thaw a frozen heart.

The True Story

The Man Who Invented Christmas
Author: Les Standiford
Genre: Biography
Recommended by Laurence Wilson, Contributing Writer

Dickens reminds us that in times of a pandemic, we can overcome obstacles to our success and survive. While he attempted to keep debtors at bay, childhood memories spurred Charles Dickens’ to write his famous story “A Christmas Carol.” Today, many have lost their jobs and have been turned down as Dickens was in his day. Sometimes you must go all or nothing as Dickens did when he published his own work, with all the money he had left, after being rejected by his own publishers. With piracy prevalent across the waters and at home, and despite court proceedings and family disconnection, Dickens still succeeded in reforming our society’s well-known pagan-Christian holiday with his story. Standiford’s account of Dickens’ journey to the creation of “A Christmas Carol” reminds us that we can turn lemons into lemonade this holiday season during this Winter pandemic land.

The Graphic Novel

Blankets
Author: Craig Thompson
Recommended by Xailia Claunch, Editor

Blankets is the beautifully illustrated story of author Craig Thompson’s first love, and how it helped shape his future.

Thompson meets Raina at a winter church camp, and immediately the two fall for each other. He convinces his parents to let him visit her in the Upper Peninsula for a couple weeks at the height of a Michigan winter.

While staying together, the pair falls deeper in love, as they watch Raina’s parents suffer through a messy divorce. Thompson’s faith is also shaken as he reconsiders what he has always been taught about love and sexuality.

The story beautifully depicts the ups and downs of young romance, first relationships, family, and growing up. It also centers on Thompson’s relationship with Christianity, and how after being raised in a strict religious home, he finds his own path.

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